Connected
by ZenPotter
Summary: Cooper's dead just after Georgie and Maxie feels all alone, believing Cooper's innocence she joins Spinelli to find the real killer...and every clue seems to lead straight to Logan. But Logan was Cooper's best friend, was he faking the grieve
1. Another One Dead

Connected

Connected

By ZanPotter

Disclaimer: don't own GH because if I did, Georgie and Coop would not be dead, Lulu wouldn't be such a pain in the ass and Lucky would caught a freaking break...and Carly would be the queen of the world ;) hey it may not be perfect but you can bet it would be interesting.

Summary: Cooper's dead just after Georgie and Maxie feels all alone, believing Cooper's innocence she joins Spinelli to find the real killer...and every clue seems to lead straight to Logan. But Logan was Cooper's best friend, was he faking the grieve

Information: This is just right after Cooper's death and AU obviously because the events that follow would be slightly different. I don't know the couple yet, I do know it would feature Maxie and Logan as the main characters. I don't know if they would end up as friends or more, if Logan would be with Lulu, or Lulu with Johnny, or Maxie with Spinelli. Jason, Carly, Sonny, Liz, Lucky, Mac, Sam and Felicia would be cameo characters. Please read and review

Chapter One- Gone

When Maxie Jones stepped into Coop's room that day, her whole world shattered into a million little pieces of glass. And her screams could not hide the unmistakable and undoubtedly dreadfully moment that had presented itself. Jason Morgan, Lulu Spencer, Logan Hayes, and Mike Corbin who had heard the screams felt icy dreadful chill run through all of them. All of them took for the stairs of the small coffee shop, Jason in front leading the party. Maxie was obviously distraught and when Jason entered into the fray furiously begged him to help poor Coop who was at that moment hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room.

"You have to cut him down! Please, cut him down!" Maxie pleading through her uncontrollable tears.

Jason was frozen, unaware of what to do for the first time in a long time before he tried to explain that he couldn't, that they had to wait for the police. Lulu and Logan were frozen at the doorway, both unable to think or do anything. Logan couldn't quite believe the sight himself, this was a classic suicide case he was sure but this was Coop.

This was Cooper, the only one good true friend he had ever really had.

"Oh God" Logan whispered to himself

He felt a hand grasp his arm and turned to find Lulu looking at him with pity filled eyes, trying to offer, he supposed, some semblance of comfort. Meanwhile Maxie's cries kept cutting through him. He and Maxie had never really been what people would call best friends, hell…they had never been actually friends. But her cries were like a knife stabbing him over and over and over again. He glanced up at Cooper's body, stared into the corpse lifeless eyes. Cooper shouldn't be dead; he knew that more than ever. Cooper would never kill himself; he knew that as well, Cooper wasn't one to give up on anything ever. He would never kill himself and leave Maxie in this turmoil state, he would not allow Maxie to lose someone else after she had shortly lost Georgie, certainly not if Cooper could help it. He knew all that, and that meant only one thing, Cooper had been murdered. With that thought, he began to feel a channeling of rage piercing through his body; someone had killed his best friend.

"He can't be dead, he can't be dead" Maxie was muttered to herself, her head felt like it was on fire and she willed for the pain to disappear but it wouldn't, she clenched her head, "Oh God, please…this can't be happening, not again…oh god not again"

Maxie was becoming hysterical, everyone in the room could see that, nobody dared to touch her or approach her. Logan moved his gaze over to the young girl who had by that dropped to the floor, sobbing and shake e without even thinking about it and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, while she cried on her knees in front of her dead boyfriend. Lulu's fingers tighten their hold on him and his mind cleared. He stepped away from Lulu's grasp and walked over to Maxi face looked up to the body of his dead, murdered best friend.

The others stood by silently, Mike had already made a phone call to Mac and the police department, and Lulu's eyes were struggling not to well up with tears, only Jason seemed to be taking this crisis in stride. Silence ensured through out the room, Maxie's sobs had lessened, her hysteria kept in check. Her body had become tired.

When the police arrive, Mac had immediately claimed a niche as his daughter's comforter gentle taking her into his arms from Logan. Meanwhile, the police that had already surveyed the room began to work. All the four previous occupancy were led downstairs, the café temporarily closed down. The four were not allowed to leave, as the cops had yet to question them. Silence vibrated the downstairs café. Lulu and Logan sat together, Lulu holding on to Logan's hand, trying to offer support the best way she could. She wanted to say something, to help him through this but she couldn't. Mike was standing at the register, not registering anything around him before he shook his head and decided he had to do something and went to the back of the kitchen. Jason stood by the stairs, glancing up once in a while, his face still expressionless. Mac sat by Maxie, her head lay on his shoulders, she had by that time stopped shaking, and crying but the pain didn't seem to lessen, he heart tighten around her chest as she struggled to breath. She felt a shiver and looked to find Logan staring at her. He didn't seem to see her though; he was staring right through her it seemed.

"Commissioner, we need you up here" An officer spoke by the stair shattering the silence.

"Can't this wait?" Mac asked silently as he felt Maxie stiff beside him, lifting her head.

The officer shook his head, "I'm sorry Mac but this is something you got to see"

Mac gave a small nod and turned to give Maxie a hug, "It will be okay, everything would be better I promise" He whispered the cliché, the supposedly words of comfort.

Maxie watched her dad take leave with his officer and shook her head lightly, "No dad, it won't"

Minutes later Lucky joined the fray, after making sure that Lulu was okay, he called Jason away to question him about his role in all that drama. He was adamant that Jason was somewhat responsible for this grief. Jason was always responsible. Mike had come back into the front of the café and was trying and failing to get Maxie to eat something, she needed her strength and still Maxie refused.

"Eat it" Logan ordered from his side of the room, Maxie's head snapped to him, for a moment it looked like she was going to say something.

The police had come down carrying Coop's body immediately silencing Maxie's response. Tears filled Maxie's eyes, as she stood up.

"Stop" She ordered her father's forces, and touched the blanket that covered Coop's.

"Maxie" Lucky gentle grabbed her arm pulling her back and nodded to the cop's to keep moving. Apparently he had finished berating Jason for one thing or another. Lucky rubbed her shoulder lightly before going to question Mike. Maxie stood there frozen, he was gone, Cooper was gone and Maxie was alone, she had lost everything. Her sister was gone, Cooper was gone, Jesse was gone, everyone was gone…even the people that were alive. Her father, her mother…Mac had left her alone to go do his job. Needles seemed to enjoy tormenting her because every pain of her body felt as if a needle was striking her skin. She was shaking again, her world closing around her.

"Oh my god" She thought she had Lulu yelled.

Maxie was disoriented, her body felt weak and her heart, her heart was beating so fast inside her chest, and her heart was pumping up and down furiously, her heart felt like breaking apart. Clenching her chest, Maxie swayed and fell to the earth, amazingly enough her body was caught before it could hit the hard floor. Before her eyes closed, they said goodbye to dark green once staring down at hers, before her world went blank.


	2. Everyone Hurts

Chapter Two - Everyone Hurts

Before Maxie Jones woke up that evening, she already knew were she was. She didn't need to open her eyes to know, her sense of smell was functioning just fine, as was her sense of hearing. This stench of medicine and sick people was something that she was sure would never completely disappear from her subconscious, and there the bibbing sounds of the machine, a machine was that plunked through her viens, a machine that had a link to her heart. Maxie opened her eyes the same time that the door creaked open, she looked at her nurse and gave a hallow laugh.

"The universe must despise me" Maxie said with a smirk, "But come on, even I don't deserve to get kicked when I'm done"

"I see you are feeling well" Elizabeth Spencer said with a forced smile, it wasn't a secret that she and Maxie were not very friendly. She bargain checking her vital signs, marking down some nurse doudle on her chart. "Well, everything seems to be in working order"

"Well thank you Sherlock" Maxie muttered rolling her eyes.

Elizabeth shot Maxie a look and sighed, "Your heart's beat's normal but I'm gonna get Patrick to take a look at you just to be on the safe side"

"You are on first name basis with the lovely doctor Patrick Drake" Maxie said smirking, "So I'm betting his going to be your baby's next baby daddy"

Elizabeth took a deep breath, ignored the jibe and forced another smile, "I think I'm gonna go now"

"Wait Liz" Maxie called out and waited until the young nurse turned back, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that"

There was a moment of silence before Elizabeth picked her mouth from the floor, "Its okay," Elizabeth said

"No its not" Maxie insisted, "I mean I know you are competing to be added in the Genes book of world records as the nurse to ever have many babies from different daddies and it was below low of me to try and undercut your ambitions…like I ever really could right?"

"Okay" Elizabeth sighed again, trying to hold in her temper considering the circumstances, she couldn't believe she had fallen for Maxie's apology for even a millisecond, "Look Maxie I know you have been through a lot, and you are going through a lot but that doesn't mean you get to be such a…"

"What? A bitch"

"I was gonna say spoiled little brat, but I guess we could use your word, I'm going to leave now and get Dr. Drake to come look at your heart"

"Yeah blah blah blah, whatever" Maxie narrowed her eyes at Liz, "If you even think about going after Patrick and in the process hurting robin, I swear to God, I would tear down that self righteous face…you got it"

Elizabeth left the room without another word and strode to the nurse's station to page Patrick, her head filled with disdain over Maxie's unbelievable rude behavior. It amazed Elizabeth that anyone could still retain a behavior so undesirable after suffering a considerable amount of loss that Maxie had suffered. One would think that Maxie had learned something, that she would stop with the taunting and cold assertions. But not Maxie, what kind of a person was she?

"Problem?" Nadine asked when Elizabeth the station noting the disturbance in the other nurse's aura.

"Maxie's awake" Elizabeth said simply as if that was explanation enough, she picked up the nearest phone, paging Dr. Drake.

"That's good news isn't it?" Nadine raised her eyebrows in confusion, this town still confused her.

"Yeah it is" Elizabeth said silently before sighing and turning to Nadine, "Its just that Maxie is complicated and she hates me and I shouldn't have been the first person to have graced her presence when she opened her eyes"

"Really, why what happen?" Nadine asked

"Oh nothing really" Elizabeth said with a small smirk, "Except for the fact that she illegally gave drugs to my husband causing him to become addicted, had an affair with him and ruined my marriage"

"That 100 pounds tiny girl did all that" Nadine was in aware then offered a comforting gaze, "You want me to take over"

"Would you?" Elizabeth questioned and broke into a huge smile, grasping Nadine's hand, her mind filled with gratitude, "You are a lifesaver"

"Someone paged me" A deep voice interrupted the newly bonding friends.

"Maxie Jones is awake" Elizabeth said simply handing the deliciously hot Dr. Drake Maxie's chart.

Maxie was wringing her hands together tightly, she had only wanted to turn her attentions and memories from Cooper's recent death on something else, she had only wanted to distract herself from the emotional turmoil had taken over her state of being that moment. She had only wanted to feel something else other that the biting pain inside her heart. The sharp stinging pain that she was drowning in. Normally her jibes at Elizabeth always made her feel if not completely better, at least a little better. She had just figured out the daunting truth, taunting Elizabeth had done nothing, she didn't feel better about her own miserable life even if for a moment. Which would mean that nothing she did would make everything feel better, she was totally and completely consumed by grief. Tears didn't come out, nothing to south her burning realization, her body seemed at a lost for a proper reaction. One would think her body and mind had gotten used to the state of things, that grief would have been able to handled efficiently.

Maxie started up at the ceiling and wondered if heaven really existed, if God really existed. She wanted to cry out a YES, she wanted a heaven to exist, a peaceful place were Georgie, Cooper, Jesse and BJ all where. A place that is so beautiful, a place without pain, loss and suffering. But that place wasn't possible, how could that place be possible if the God that governed this world also governed the heavenly world. If God allowed all that crap to happen in this world why wouldn't he allow that crap to happen in the other world too?

The door opened and in walked Patrick Drake and another nurse that Maxie knew was the sister of the nurse/assassin person. Nadine whatshername, who had been at the ball with Spinelli and had gone off on Lulu. She sighed, she couldn't even attempt a smile at that memory.

"Hi Maxie" Patrick great her with his charming smile, which completely did nothing for her, "how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" Maxie repeated the question, a hollowness filling her insides before she frowned, "you are the doctor, why don't you tell me"

"Well, physically nothing is wrong with you" Patrick stated, "But that's not what I meant and you know it"

"Well however you mean it, I'm fine" Maxie said unable to say anything other than what was programmed.

"Maxie…"

"Get I go home now?" Maxie asked.

"No" all the occupancies turned to the new comer, Robin stood at the doorway her hand on hip and a very determined expression on her face, "You can't go home just yet, and I can't believe you are even suggesting that Patrick"

Patrick raised his eyebrows, "I didn't"

"You said I was physically better" Maxie pointed out to Patrick, "So what's the problem"

"The problem is your heart Maxie" Robin said not giving Patrick any opening, "There could be complications"

Maxie rolled her eyes, "oh please I get the gist of all this, I fainted before, I was just overwhelmed, but the corky doc here says I'm fine, psychical and otherwise now I want to go home and you can't stop me" Maxie began pulling the needles from her body, it wasn't painful and Maxie should have been grateful.

Robin strode to her cousin but avoided touching her, that would only ensure a fight and that could even more complication…what if a needle breaks in her body.

"Maxie stop" Robin pleaded, "Please we are just trying to do the best thing for you"

"The best thing for me would be to die" Maxie muttered to herself stopping her actions, Robin raised her eyebrow having heard her cousin.

"What did you say?" Robin asked trying hard to stay calm, through her eyes's betrayed her concern and fear.

"What?" Maxie asked feigning innocence, "Look I can't stay here, with the smell and the memories, I can't….I just want to go home and sleep on my comfy bed"

"okay" Patrick said then tried to defend himself when Robin turned on him, "what? we really have no right to keep her here."

"Unbelievable" Robin snapped before striding out of the room angrily.

Patrick rested the urge to roll his eyes, "Take care of her," He ordered Nadine before leaving.

The leftovers glanced at each other as they heard a faint call for Robin in Patrick's voice.

"Eh…Is there anything I can get for you?" Nadine asked, not sure what to say. She may have lost her sister but she didn't know Maxie and she would not be making hasty decisions on how to approach the girl, it may come to bit her in the ass.

Before Maxie could answer, a knock resounded and the door open.

Maxie took one look at her visitor and shook her head, "Oh lordy, I must have really messed up in my last lifetime" She muttered to herself.

"Hullo blond nurse, Hullo grieving blond" Spinelli, the cyber genesis stood at the door with a banquet of flowers in hand. "I know that you desire not the pleasure of anyone's presence at the moment, for I'm sure that you would not feel pleasure either way, but I was at the penthouse, patiently awaiting the arrival of stone cold, who by and by came with the most aggrieving news of you personage being the witness to the most horrendous scene in the history of mankind at Kelly's. I must say I was most distressed by the notion of the grieving blond's unfair of the predisposition of finding or being a witness of a loved one's demise…"

"Spinelli" Maxie practically had to yell, a moment of silence passed while Maxie took a deep breath, "Are those flowers from me or what?"

Spinelli who had previously had donned it best to be silence, hoping to not have displeased the other blond one finally gave a small smile, smile as sincere as it could be considering the circumstances and held out the flowers to Maxie.

"Thank you there are great" Maxie said taking the flowers and unceremoniously dropped them beside the bed before turning to Spinelli "Now get out, I have to change"

"Change?" Spinelli frowned, "Why?"

"Why is it your business?" Maxie asked carelessly, "Just get out"

"Right" Spinelli's face had dropped though he offered a forced smile, "The grieving blond one wishes to be alone, I shall diligently partake an exit"

Maxie gave a 'whatever' look until Spinelli was out of her sight, she turned to the Nadine who wasn't wearing a very happy look. Nadine eyes were angrily glaring at her.

"What?" Maxie asked as if she had done nothing wrong.

Nadine said nothing, she only rolled her eyes, flashed Maxie a look and stuttered off.

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Coop had always been nice to her, that's all she really remembered about him. The two had never been close, not the way that he had been close to Logan. So really she didn't understand what he could be feeling at that point. All Lulu could do at that point was sit next to him, her mind traveling a million miles a millisecond trying to come up with a way to open conversation. Logan needed to talk about how he was feeling. She glanced at him, feeling a welling of compassion pass through her. His face was impassive, hard and set jaw as he looked towards the open sea. Being at the docks should have been comforting, it was a quite nice, the breeze was warm and the sweet scent of sea water lavished the air. It was a nice night.

If it had been any other night, both of them would have considered it romantic, and talk about their feelings, feelings they both were afraid to feel for each other.

"You've been quiet"

Lulu looked at Logan in surprise, she was actually starting to get used to the silence, it took a minute for his words to register.

"I really don't know quite what to say" She spoke honestly, she really wasn't good at making people feel better.

"Well, at least you didn't ask how I was feeling" Logan said

Lulu said nothing, her thoughts had been leaning to asking that very question, it was cliche but she couldn't help something that was branded in her.

"god this is a nightmare" Logan leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, "I remember the first time I met Coop, it feels like a million years ago right now"

This was good, lulu thought to herself. She needed to keep him talking, if only so he wouldn't realize that she was the best girl to have as an anchor at dark times.

"I didn't think we would be friends at first" Logan admitted, he had still to look at her.

"why?" She asked the question as softly as she could, she didn't want him to stop talking.

"he was just so helplessly hopeless" Logan said then chuckled rubbing his hands together, "way to optimistic for my taste, you might have not noticed but I'm very pessimistic and broody" He said finally turning to look at her.

Their eyes met for a moment, Logan was desperately trying to keep the tears from foaming in his eyes, she could see that. They were intense, and heated, and Lulu could tell a little angry. Logan was angry at something, he was angry and he was keeping the anger in check as if to protect her. She looked back at the sea. "You, no way" She tried to make the words sound like she was teasing him. Meanwhile her heart was beating way too fast, and she struggled to stay calm. What was wrong with her anyway? She wasn't the one that had actually lost anything.

"He was so excited when he joined the army" Logan said after a moment of silence, "to be serving his country, he thought we were real heroes, what an idiot"

"Logan" Lulu took a deep breath intending to say something, anything to reach him but before a word could be uttered he stood up, "Logan"

"I am going to take a walk"

The way he said was simple, his voice said emotionless. He turned and walked away from her, and Lulu sat at the dock bench and watched him. By the time the thought fell into her head to follow him, he was already gone. Lulu stared back at the sea. She wasn't a very good girlfriend. With everything she had done, the emotions that were changing inside her...it wasn't fair that this was happening to Logan. Footsteps broke into Lulu's thoughts and turning around she found Johnny coming down the steps. Her heart was beating inside her chest again, again she tried to control her breathing.

"Are you like stalking me?" Lulu asked in a shaken voice

Johnny looked at her and smiled, apparently amused by her question. "No, I was talking a walk, I'm aloud to do that aren't I?"

"Talking a walk"Lulu sighed and shook her head, "Why don't I believe you"

Johnny smiled at her again, his smile slipped from his face as he studied her. It was the look in her eyes, as if she wanted to cry. And he shouldn't care but he couldn't help himself. It was her, she looked so much like his mother and he liked it better when she smiled. Everything was warm when she smiled.

"What's wrong?" he asked

"What do you mean?" She asked trying to look surprised.

"Come on, you can tell me" he said, "if you do I can try and make you feel better"

"I don't think I should be telling you of all people about this" Lulu said hesitantly, after all she wasn't sure she could trust Johnny, just yet, "Its about Logan actually"

"What has that Jackass done now?" Johnny asked unapologetically, if Logan had done anything to make Lulu this sad, he was going to kill him.

"That jackass as you would love to call him just witnessed the suicide of his best friend if you must know" Lulu shouted under frustration, "not that you care but he just lost one of the only people on his side in this town beside me. His best friend, and I don't know what to do. Coop was so nice to me, and the way I feel after witnessing him in that room with a rope around his neck, Logan must be feeling ten times worse...how am I going to help Logan? How?"

Johnny didn't know what to say, he didn't care about Logan. Death was a part of his life so he was used to it, it was normal and he had learned a long time ago that crying about it wouldn't change anything. He had learned to deal with it, not let death affect him. But standing there seeing Lulu quivering, tears streaming down her face. It all but killed him. Logan was a jackass, and it wasn't as if he knew Coop well enough to mourn him. Johnny pulled Lulu into his warm, wanting to protect from all the pain and tears that death brought to the living.

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The nursing station was busy, the phone ringing of the hook, the patient clip being passed around to the doctors. Spinelli could see it was busy, but he couldn't help himself as he walked to the station with a mission in mind. His guilt was overwhelming him and if he didn't find something to alleviate it soon he was going to burst open like a mount suvious. He approached Nadine who seemed to be jolting down some notes on a clip for a patient.

"Greetings oh beautiful blond nurse" Spinelli said rather meekly, and quietly.

Nadine glanced up giving him a smile, "Spinelli u are still here?"

"Yes" Spinelli said, "I took a deep and brooding walk around the perimeter of the healing factory trying to abide the guilt blood flowing through my viens"

"You have nothing to feel guilt about Spinelli" Nadine said almost immediately while it would take people forever to decipher Spinelli's words, she somehow understood him, "what you did was sweet"

"It's wonderful of you to verbalize my actions as sweet" Spinelli said with a small smile, "but I fear my actions may have displeased the grieving blond one greatly and has caused her to fall in greater despair"

Nadine put her chart down and looked Spinelli straight in the eyes , "you have nothing to apologize for, Maxie is upset at the situation not you"

Spinelli smiled in contentment, he guilt was being alleviated already. The last thing he wanted where the grieving blond one was concerned was make things even worse than it was. After thanking Nadine for her kind words, Spinelli headed to the elevator, he would see Maxie another time. He had just reached the elevator when it opened and Mac, the courageous commissioner walked out.

"Greetings father of the lovable Georgina"

"hi" Mac answered without giving Spinelli another glance before hurrying to Nadine, "could you page either Robin or Patrick and give me Maxie's room number while you are at it please"

"Yes sir" Nadine said.

"uncle Mac" Robin called out hurrying to give her uncle a hug

"Robin how is she?" Mac asked breathlessly

"Oh uncle mac" Robin tried to keep herself as calm as possible, "this is not good"

"Give the grievous blond one my regards" Spinelli called after Mac and Robin as they hurried past him to Maxie's room, Robin had given him a small smile, but Mac seemed to not have heard him. Spinelli turned to Nadine, "I don't think the brave warrior of justice likes me much" He said simply

"Don't be silly Spinelli" Nadine said as she went back to dibbling her chart, a smile gracing her lips "who wouldn't like you"

Spinelli turned to leave again only almost bumping into Logan who quickly apologized, he didn't seem to notice that it was Spinelli before walking up to the station.

"Hey can you tell me Maxie's Jones room number please?" Logan asked

"Well, we normally have to give the number only..." Nadine didn't finish her sentence as she glanced up at this boy who seemed to have lost everything, "okay, give me a minute"

Spinelli went over to Logan offering his condolences, "The jackle many not like the evil com...you very much but still wishes to divulge his many sympathies at this great loss"

Logan looked at Spinelli for a moment and without saying a word, turning back to Nadine who gave him directions to Maxie Jones room.

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Mac walked into the room after a deep intense conversation with Robin about Maxie's condition to find her already changed, just shot of wearing her sneaks and walking out of the room. This was a nightmare to be sure, Maxie looked so fragile, tears had obviously been running down her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy. But Mac knew that Maxie was strong, she was stronger than he was, she could handle anything. Look at everything she had handled so far in her young life. Her sister's death being the hardest, and now Coop. But he wondered about the rest, the news that he would surely tell her might possible do the trick and really destroy her.

"What are you doing Maxie?" Mac asked softly at the doorway, all he wanted to do was ran to her, and hold her in his arms forever keeping her self unlike the way he had Georgie. He swallowed up his tears, it would not do to have her see him crying.

"What does it look like" She answered without looking up, tying her shoe laces the way her mother had taught her starting with the bunny ears and putting the strings inside the holes, one of the few things her mother had actually participated in.

"Robin said you where not in any shape to go home yet" Mac reminded her because he was sure Robin had already had this conversation with her before he had showed up.

"Patrick says I'm better" Maxie said in a simple but determined voice, she finally looked up at him, "there is no reason I can't go home"

Mac could see by the look in her eyes there was no stopping her, Maxie did not like the hospital and didn't like spending a lot of time there. And why would she when she almost dead there more than once. He gave a nod of agreement, like he had a choice, Robin was probably being overprotected as always.

"I have to tell you something first," Mac said, walking towards her bed, he sat and she didn't have to get an invitation to do the same, there was a moment of silence. Mac unable to say the words he wanted to say, afraid of the reaction, the fallout.

"Maxie we found some evidence that seems to link Coop to the Text Message Killer" Mac said carefully, slowly trying to hold back into saying even more.

"What do you mean by link" Maxie asked struggling to understand, "linked like he found something about the Text Message Killer, like he knew who the Text Message Killer was?"

It was the only thing that made sense as far as she was concerned. That could be the only link she could think in her mind, a connection. Coop was a cop, a good one as far as she knew.

"No" Mac sighed, knowing there was no gentle way to say it, "The evidence links Coop as the Text Message Killer, the mystery is solved"

Maxie just stared at Mac for a moment, if this was some kind of joke it wasn't very good. But this was Mac, he wasn't exactly a comedian. Maxie's brain tried to process what she had just heard while her emotions tumbled widely inside her, her stomach felt as if lightening was striking there over and over again. This was more than a nightmare...was there anything worse than a nightmare? Yes, reality. You couldn't wake up from reality.

"No" Maxie said strongly, "No!!" She yelled, "that's not true"

"Maxie" Mac grasped her arms afraid she might fall into hysterias, she was shaking though, tears forming in her eyes and she had thought she couldn't shade more tears, "I know its hard to believe but.."

"The Text Message Killer killed Georgie Dad" Maxie said softly this time, it killed Mac to hear her call him Dad in that voice, begging him to make all her pain go away when he really couldn't "so I know that it can't be Coop because Coop loved me and he would never hurt me, not like that...he loved me" She said, her voice cracking along the way, "he loved me"

Mac remained silent, praying to god that Coop had gone straight to hell, that the fires of hell were making him pay over and over again for his sins. If only Coop had been alive, Mac was sure he would have killed him. Mac pressed Maxie against him, she kept telling him that he was wrong, that Coop loved her and would never be the TMK. She was shaking against him, and he knew that his comfort would not be enough.

Outside the room, in the hallway Logan leaned against the wall, tears streaming down his eyes. He couldn't hold them in any longer, every inch of him hurt. His best friend...dead. He knew why? This was all his fault.


End file.
